A box arrived from Mesa, AZ recently, bearing exciting contents: finished stitching! Sandy, the framer at the Attic Needlework shop, does such a beautiful job framing stitching (and the local shops around here have consistently let us down) so all the needlework done at Maple Hoo gets packaged up and mailed cross country immediately after the final cross is made. The only draw-back to this system is that we’re not the only ones who rely on Sandy’s excellent eye and exquisite attention detail; as a result, it can take a while to get our projects back. More often than not, when we see a box from the Attic the initial reaction is, “I wonder what’s in here… I can’t remember the last projects I finished…” It’s like Christmas morning, then, opening the box and rediscovering whatever we’d sent out weeks (or sometimes months) before.

The latest box contained two pieces I’m super excited about — “1824” and “Live Each Season As It Passes”. Both were small, impulse projects that stitched up in next to no time. Blogging has put a serious spoke in my stitching wheel; small, impulse projects seem to be the only thing I can finish these days! Fortunately, these little gems will be excellent additions to our rotating wall of seasonal pieces.

I adored this piece the first time I saw it on the Carriage House website. There were two colorways to choose from, but I loved the vintage-y feel of the red, brown, and dark gold. I think it really sets off the simple yet funky look of the giant flowers.

I also really loved the linen the designer suggested (Pear, from Lakeside Linen). The hand-dying is very subtle, but adds a depth that this piece might other be missing.

Technically this piece is called, “1824”, but I like to think of it as “1848”, because that was a date my college American Western history professor deemed “a date to hang your hat on” because so much happened that year. My little jaunty deer seems like one to want to hang his hat on something, so “1848” it is.

I can’t remember when exactly I stitched this. I don’t remember what I had just finished, or what I put down to make it, but I do remember waking up and saying, “I must start ‘Live Each Season’!” I had no idea where the chart or materials were in the giant basement-sized stash Boomer and I share. I gave up looking for it after about ten minutes of looking in all the obvious places it could be. Boomer, however, was much more dogged. After descending into the Stash Abyss, she returned some twenty minutes later, victoriously holding up the chart, linen, and threads.

The linen was a special cut (I’m assuming of Lakeside Linen) that was provided with the chart (which I think is part of a series of little charts called the Loose Feathers Club; members get awesome new charts every other month, with special hand-dyed linens selected for that exact piece) and the threads were Weeks Dye Works overdyed cotton floss. There’s a big upswell in the popularity of variegated threads, but I’m finding they really have their time and place. I think they’re used to great effect here, giving a subtle shading to the white of the flowers while adding a dramatic punch to red lettering.

I love this piece for two reasons. The first is that this year Schnookie and I have both come to the shocking conclusion that we now both love all the seasons equally. Summer used to be a big downer around here thanks to the lack of hockey. But now that summer means watching the garden hit its peak (as well as sitting around playing Katamari instead of being tied to the hockey schedule), summer is just as much fun as Spring, Autumn and Winter. So the sentiment on this little project is perfectly suited to commemorate this year.

The second reason is that as a hockey fan, I think the sentiment to enjoy the season (as in, “the NHL season”) as it chugs along, never taking for granted that there is hockey on TV to be tied to, is a good thing, too!

Aw, thanks, Caitlin! “1824” was superfun to stitch. When you finish the “Circling Alphabets”, if you’re looking for something fun, I highly recommend it! The other colorway is pretty cool; it’s on a dark, almost black, linen with lighter threads.

When you finish the “Circling Alphabets”, if you’re looking for something fun, I highly recommend it!

Yeah, I have a feeling Circling Alphabets is going to be a LONG time in the making. We just found out my older sister has another baby on the way – so you know what that means. As the last two crafty females in my family, my mom and I are sitting down to stitch everything in sight for this kid – I’ve already got a blanket lined up to work on and then I’ve got a couple of towels/bibs/etc for the nursery to embroider. Sheesh!

One of those things where if you don’t start now, you won’t be finished by the time the baby arrives.

Congratulations to your family, Caitlin! What wonderful news! And yeah, crafting on a baby deadline is TERRIBLE! Worse than that is getting stuff framed on a baby deadline. We’ve got a birth sampler floating around in the framing workshop out in AZ for a friend’s kid who was born last October. We’re hoping to give it to them sometime before Tabitha goes off to college. :P

We’ve got a birth sampler floating around in the framing workshop out in AZ for a friend’s kid who was born last October. We’re hoping to give it to them sometime before Tabitha goes off to college. :P

When my nephew was born, I still had halfway left to go on his baby blanket. It was so frustrating! So I’ve decided to set aside a weekend day – like Sunday – as stitching day, where I just work like crazy to get it done. Better early than late!

We’re also doing a baby quilt, I think. Well, no one can say we didn’t try!

That’s so much fun! And I love setting aside entire days for stitching. It’s such a nice feeling, settling down for hours and hours with nothing but stitching on your agenda. I love stepping back when the day’s over and seeing how much I finished. Although I’m normally drinking when I do that, so I’m not as productive as I’d like to be… :P

You’ll have to give us updates on the projects you’re doing! Send pictures!!

So… I keep thinking this post’s title says, “New From the Farmer” but there is nothing new from the farmer! Oh dear. Once work is done for the summer, my brain shuts down. Coherent thoughts and sentences? Meh. But my friend is coming today! In mere hours! So the incoherentness will only grow in leaps and bounds! Whoo!